What Are Symptoms Of Rabies?

What are symptoms of rabies?, Rabies, formerly known as hydrophobia, is a serious viral infection of the central nervous system. It is transmitted by the bite of an animal infected with the disease or by a rabid animal licking over a break in the skin.

#What is rabies?

The most commonly infected animals in Europe and America are dogs (particularly strays), rats, foxes, bats, raccoons, and various species of wild dogs.

Other animals, both wild and domestic, can also be infected. Rabies is not present in the UK and is kept out by strict quarantine laws. The disease is present in Europe and the Americas and is common in Africa, India, and Indonesia. So great care must be taken with animals when visiting these countries.

Most human rabies is contracted from rabid dogs. These are often strays, but pets can also become infected by bites from other animals.

#What Are Symptoms Of Rabies?

Symptoms (3 – 7 weeks after bite):

Restlessness, Irritability

Fatigue

Loss of appetite

Slight fever

Irritation at site of the bite

A sore throat

Two to ten days later:

Increased saliva and watering eyes.

Violent spasms of the throat muscles and diaphragm that make it impossible to swallow.

Hyperactivity and violent behavior.

Confusion.

High fever.

Irregular heartbeat.

Irregular breathing.

Seizures.

Coma.

#What Are Symptoms Of Rabies, Major Causes?

When an infected animal bites or licks a wound on a human or another animal, a virus in its saliva enters through the broken skin or nearby mucous membranes. The virus then travels slowly from the bite area to the brain. The risk of rabies increases with multiple bites and with bites on the head, neck, and upper body.

#What Are Symptoms Of Rabies Diagnosed And Treated?

If a biting animal appears rabid and can be caught or has been killed, its brain can be examined by a pathologist in a laboratory to reveal whether the rabies virus is present.

If the biting animal appears healthy, it should be kept under observation to see if symptoms appear. Laboratory tests can help decide if the person who was bitten has been infected with rabies.

The first step in treatment after any animal bite, but particularly after the bite of a possibly rabid animal, is to wash the bitten area immediately with soap and water.

Keep washing it for at least 10 minutes to remove all saliva, then cover with a clean bandage, if necessary.

If you are bitten in a country where animals are known to carry rabies, you should seek medical advice immediately. If the doctor believes there is a risk of rabies, you will be started on a course of immunization.

This treatment can be stopped if laboratory tests show that the animal was free of rabies, or if after five days the animal is known to have remained healthy.

Delaying treatment reduces the chance of successfully preventing rabies and is likely to prove fatal. If immunization is started within two days of the bite, rabies is almost always prevented.

If treatment is not begun until the symptoms of rabies appear, survival is highly unlikely. The first symptoms take at least 3 to 7 weeks (and sometimes much longer) to appear.

In the past, the immunization treatment consisted of as many as 21 injections, given in the stomach, and entailed considerable discomfort.

Recently a new treatment has been developed involving a single dose of rabies immune globulin (specially prepared antibodies to the rabies virus), a shorter series of injections of human diploid cell rabies vaccine, and a tetanus booster.

This treatment requires no restriction of normal activities unless rabies symptoms appear. If the disease does develop, intensive care in hospital is necessary entailing intravenous administration of fluids and nutrients along with sedatives and painkillers.

#What Can I Do To Avoid Rabies?

Avoid contact with animals while in countries with rabies. Be particularly cautious if any seemingly wild animal appears to be acting in a friendly manner. This is common in rabid animals.

Teach children not to touch or approach strange animals. If while you are abroad you will be involved in handling animals, camping, hunting, or exploring caves.

you should be inoculated against rabies, especially if you will be over two days easy travel from the nearest hospital. You should also keep your tetanus immunization up to date at all times.

#What can I do myself To Avoid Rabies Symptoms In Humans?

Take note of the animal’s behavior at the time of any bite and let the doctor or hospital emergency staff know how it occurred. Points to note include whether the animal was provoked or if it attacked for no apparent reason and if it is a member of a normally wild species but was acting tame.

If the animal was killed, make sure it is kept so that the brain can be analyzed. If it is still alive but wild, arrange for it to be captured, if this can be done safely; or have it killed. This can be arranged by the police in most countries.

#When Should I See The Doctor?

Get medical attention as quickly as possible, but try not to panic. Immunization needs to be started as soon as possible in cases of suspected rabies.

#Is Rabies Dangerous?

Yes. It is virtually always fatal if not treated. In the few recorded cases of survival after rabies, the people had been partially treated or vaccinated.